973: Ibn Ḥawqal on Christian-Muslim Marriages in Sicily

Abstract

In 363/973, the geographer Ibn Ḥawqal visited the island of Sicily, then a province of the Fāṭimid caliphate. The traveller was not only interested in the island’s geography and topography, but also sought to characterise its inhabitants and their traditions. In so doing, he criticised the Sicilians and their religious practices. In this context, Ibn Ḥawqal speaks about interreligious marriages between Christian women and Muslim men. He disputes the legitimacy of their union by using the term al-mušaʿmiḏūn to describe male children born of such marriages. This article analyses Ibn Ḥawqal's statements against the background of processes of transculturation in multi-religious Sicily. Furthermore, it discusses the etymology and meaning of the term al-mušaʿmiḏūn.